Tunisian Defense Minister describes Libyan gov’t as militia

Sarah Wahid

Tunisian Minister of Defense Imad Al-Hazgui has announced on April 15, 2020 that the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Libya is worrying the Tunisian government, indicating that the situation in Libya, including the health system, is defective.

The minister further added that the Tunisian government is currently coordinating with the “militias” that are controlling the land crossings between the two countries to receive Tunisians returning from Libya.

He further indicated that the situation in Libya, including the health system, is defective, and that there are fears the virus might infiltrate and spreading through the influx of Tunisians returning from Libya.

Al-Hazgui’s remarks, in which he used the term “militias” to describe Al-Wefaq government, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, have angered the Muslim Brotherhood in the country, which prompted them to seek the support of Rached Ghannouchi, the brotherhood’s arm inside the Tunisian parliament.

Chairman of the High Council of State and Muslim Brotherhood member Khalid al-Mishri has made a phone call to Ghannouchi to reject Al-Hazgui’s remarks.

For his part,  Ghannouchi stressed the importance of clarifying the aforementioned statement and its impact over relations between the two countries, people, parliaments and governments, which he described as “legitimate institutions in Libya.”

Tunisian President Kais Saied felt it was necessary to reassert Tunisia’s neutrality in the Libyan conflict during a phone with Sarraj that Tunis still considered the internationally recognized Tripoli government as “legitimate and legal” despite the remarks.

A statement issued by the Tunisian presidency April 15 quoted Saied as telling Sarraj that “Tunisia is committed as always to the respect of legitimacy and the law as our basis.”

“The statements in discordance with this stance have either been misinterpreted or were circulated with the aim of suggesting that the Tunisian position has changed,” it added.

Dr. Tariq Fahmy, a professor of political science at Cairo University, has told The Reference in an interview that the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya would really like to know the truth about what is really going on in Tunisia, and whether did the gains achieved by the national army of Libya has changed Tunisia’s stand towards Libya’s government.

He also pointed out that the change in Tunisia’s policy towards Libya has already started changing, starting with the Defense Minister’s remarks, and will keep on changing directly with each advancement by the Libyan army.